put the realistic into eating

I work with clients daily on helping them make better choices with their nutrition and how to incorporate it into their daily routine.  The challenge is always to make it realistic as we do NOT live in a bubble and well, life kinda gets in the way.  There is no such thing as ‘perfect’ eating.  We just need to be able to do the best we can as often as we can.

I had a client that came in wanting to lose body fat.  I know, we all want that!  But he was frustrated as he was working out regularly and lifting weights, yet his diet seemed to be off enough that he was not getting the results he was looking for based on the time he spent working out.  So he came in with already eating regularly spaced meals.  But he was also not able to quite get the balance of his meals with the right macro-nutrients during his afternoon meal both before and after his workouts.  He was eating like a body-builder, yet his body needed more balance than that.  We worked on that one issue so that he stops acidifying the body with too much protein, but adding back balance into those meals so he gets his necessary carbohydrates before and after workout sessions.  This would also help curb those after dinner cravings for sugar and sweets.  I also found he was consuming artificial creamer in his coffee in the mornings which also adds fat around the belly.  We worked on how to make that choice better – not to avoid the coffee, but maybe he should drink it at home where he could use almond milk instead of the creamer and use raw sugar instead.  He texted me a day later asking what can he put in his coffee while at the convenience store!  Knowing the choices, he could still keep his flavored coffee, but now he could use regular sugar (1 packet)or honey and use either milk or half and half if he was able to tolerate dairy products.

I had another client come in whose schedule is not optimal for eating every 3 hours.  He is a personal trainer, and some of the days are so crammed from 4-8 PM that there is no time in between to get a meal in unless it is in the form of liquid something.  So we helped him work on eating breakfast first off and provide several options so it is not the same thing every day.  Then we worked on the schedule of when to eat.  I suggested that he also try to move his schedule after he has 3 back-to-back clients on the hour, to then seeing clients on the 15 min intervals.  This way he could take that 15 minutes to eat as needed and proceed with his otherwise full day!  His afternoon meal would be a healthy smoothie he made at home either in the morning or the night before with some healthy spinach or kale, too for added nutrients and energy.   Adding that afternoon meal when he was booked with clients is a huge help!  And now he will not overeat when he gets home as he will not be starving anymore.  He was eating probably 3 meals in one from that hunger, and this was not helping him with keeping lean.

I have had clients come in with all sorts of issues and all sorts of scheduling conflicts.  The beauty of working with me, is that I can take that whacky schedule and create a plan that is both realistic and doable!  And we keep it interesting as well so you cannot get bored with your food.

If working with a nutrition professional scares you because you think it will be too challenging and too strict, then you have not worked with me who makes it much more reasonable and realistic.  We still use real foods as often as we can, but we create nutrition programs that are entirely based on your needs and your situation.  Put the realistic into your food plan.  If you cannot do your healthier eating plan daily, then you are not on the right eating plan!

For more information on sports nutrition coaching plans with Joanna Chodorowska, BA, NC, TPTH, visit www.n-im.net or on Facebook find Nutrition in Motion!  To your realistic health!